How Does A Carnivorous Beetle Larva Develop Into An Adult Beetle?
The carnivorous larva beetle develops from eggs laid underwater in reeds split open by the female. They live in water, eating anything they can safely attack and grow in size. When they are ready to turn into adult beetles, the larvae leave the water and look for a side on a muddy bank nearby. They then build a chamber to protect them as they make the hazardous metamorphosis into the next stage of their life cycle. Using their heads and legs, the larvae mould a small, rounded cell that will house them for their short transition. The pupation is completed in a few days, which lessens the likelihood of the pupa being lost by drying out or by a sudden flood of the muddy river bank. Once the adult beetle emerges, it stays in the chamber for a couple of days to allow its exoskeleton to harden and then it gets back into the water as fast as it can.
